Is Gianfranco Zola part of Europe's Ryder Cup team?
- Published
Preparations for the 2025 Ryder Cup are in full swing.
The biennial team event, which pits Europe against the USA, gets under way at the Bethpage Black Course, New York on Friday.
But an unlikely face has been spotted during the practice rounds and in Europe's official team photo.
That face belongs to former Chelsea and Italy forward Gianfranco Zola.
And the 59-year-old actually has a role to play over the three-day event, serving as vice-captain Francesco Molinari's designated buggy driver.
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Who are Gianfranco Zola and Francesco Molinari?
Gianfranco Zola earned 35 caps for Italy and won two FA Cups with Chelsea
Zola is a former football player and manager.
He was a member of Italy's 1994 World Cup squad, finishing as runners-up to Brazil, and earned 35 caps for his country.
At club level, he represented Italian sides Nuorese, Torres, Napoli and Parma before spending seven seasons with Premier League side Chelsea, with whom he won two FA Cups among six trophies.
He returned to Italy in 2003, finishing his career at Cagliari, before turning to management, including stints at West Ham and Watford.
He is no stranger to golf, participating in a number of pro-am events on the DP World Tour, while in March, he represented Team World at the inaugural Reignwood Icons of Football tournament.
Molinari, meanwhile, made history in 2018 when he won The Open Championship to become golf's first Italian major champion.
He has been a member of three Ryder Cup-winning teams (2010, 2012, 2018) and is one of Luke Donald's five vice-captains, a role he previously fulfilled in 2023.
The role of the vice-captain is to help prepare the team, act as a mentor, and keep the captain up to speed with what's happening on the course.
This article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team.
2025 Ryder Cup
26-28 September
Bethpage Black, New York
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